Memories Best Forgotten
by Penny Shepard
Summary: A simple crime scene soon turns out to be no such thing as the team further explore the world of terrorism, which risks the lives of two of the team members and forces one to face demons they never even knew they had.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey folks, here's the next story in my series. Hope you enjoy it.**

Jenny and Gibbs sat in the waiting area of the hospital and waited for their names to be called. Jenny tentively clutched her bottle of water, occasionally taking a sip. Gibbs held her other hand, but sat in silent contemplation.

He had missed Shannon's ultrasound since he had been in the marine core at the time. Although he had loved his late wife and daughter, and had been exceptionally close to both, he had always felt that he'd missed out on so much whilst they were alive. With hindsight he realised that having a child and being a marine wasn't the appropriate setting for a child; it was for this reason that he was glad to be doing things differently this time round.

The ultrasound nurse arrived to take them through to carry out their twelve week scan. They were about to see their baby for the first time, and they could barely contain their excitement or their nerves.

'OK Jenny if you wouldn't mind lifting your top and undoing the button of your jeans please.' The nurse said as Jenny lifted herself onto the examination table.

She glanced over at Gibbs as she nervously conformed with the nurses instructions.

'This is going to be cold.' The nurse said as she squeezed some of the cool gel onto Jenny's exposed stomach.

Jenny winced as the cold gel hit her, but she smiled slightly once the shock wore off. She felt the ultrasound paddle dig into her stomach, and she gritted her teeth slightly with discomfort as she felt it press against her full bladder.

Silence descended around the room as Jenny and Gibbs held their breaths in bated anticipation. They were very nervous, but after a few moments they heard the rapid, scooshing, thudding sound of the baby's heart. They both breathed a sigh of relief, and Jenny smiled wildly, just as there was a knock at the door.

The second nurse that was in the room, who Jenny hadn't previously noticed, went to the door and opened it slightly.

'Yes can I help you?' They heard the blonde haired woman say.

'I'm looking for Director Jenny Shepard and Special Agent Gibbs.' Both Jenny and Gibbs heard the voice say from the other side of the door, and they both smiled.

'It's OK you can let her in, it's my daughter Penny.' Jenny said to the nurse on seeing that she was about to turn her daughter away.

The nurse stepped aside and allowed the young red head in.

'Hey guys.' She said as she entered the room quietly. 'Oh wow! Is that my little brother or sister?' She asked when she heard the rhythmic thumping.

'It sure is.' Jenny replied as Penny joined her at her side.

'You'll be able to see it in a few moments as well.' The ultrasound nurse said as she resumed her examination.

After a few manoeuvres of the ultrasound paddle, the fuzzy image on the screen became a little bit clearer, and all three could see the outline of the unborn baby. Jenny was taken aback by the sight, and couldn't believe that the image before her was her baby, happily growing inside her. She glanced at Gibbs who smiled broadly back at her, and for a few moments both were speechless.

'This is your baby.' The nurse said as she looked at the couple.

'Aw herrow flump.' Penny said which resulted in a laugh from both Jenny and Gibbs, but in a confused look from the nurse.

'Don't ask.' Jenny said to her, to save Penny launching into any kind of explanation.

Once the examination was over the nurse handed Jenny some tissue whilst she wrote some notes in her file, and she ended up deep in conversation with Gibbs and Penny.

'So what was it you needed us for?' Gibbs asked quietly and with concern.

'We've had a call come through about a car accident near Rock Creek Park; one dead marine, one passenger and a third missing person who is currently unidentified. Tony, Ziva and McGee are already there, and Ducky and Palmer were on their way when I left the navy yard.' She explained in hushed tones.

'Was that really the only reason you came all this way?' Jenny asked with a raised eyebrow.

'No of course not, I wanted to see the scan and stuff and make sure everything was OK.' Penny replied with a smile.

The nurse handed Jenny their next appointment card and their copy of the scan, and all the way back to the navy yard she couldn't stop staring at it. Once they arrived Jenny left her daughter and husband in the yard as she headed into NCIS HQ. She was hoping for a quiet day, but the presence of the SecNav as soon as she walked into her office told her otherwise.

Elsewhere Gibbs and Penny arrived at the crime scene, and saw a grey car precariously teetering on the edge of a ravine. It was too unsafe for anyone to go near, as the only thing keeping it from toppling into the valley bellow was a small sapling wedged underneath. From the road the only thing of the vehicle that could be seen and photographed was the tailgate.

'What you got DiNozzo?' Gibbs asked the senior field agent as they approached him.

'Well boss we can't get to the vehicle yet it's too dangerous. I've got a fire crew on its way through so that they can secure it and hopefully remove it without compromising the evidence.' Tony explained, just as fire crew and tow-truck arrived.

The team all stepped back and watched, from a safe distance, as the fire crew worked out the best way to deal with the situation. They were well aware of the importance of pulling the car out without compromising any evidence; they were also well aware of the importance of getting the vehicle out and not letting it fall, but none of that was going to come before the crew's safety.

The crew were able to get the hoist around the back of the vehicle, just behind the rear wheels. It had taken a lot of manoeuvring and a lot of patience from team Gibbs, something that Gibbs was not particularly famed for. After a couple of hours the car was ready to be hoisted back to the road.

The noise from the vehicle was loud, and everyone cringed as they heard the scratching of the metal, like nails on a chalkboard. The rocks, rubble and debris from underneath the wheels loosened and crumbled to the ravine bellow.

It took the crew almost another hour to get the car up and out onto the road again, and team Gibbs had to work quickly as they were fast losing daylight.

Penny started photographing the immediate location around the vehicle, and began documenting the evidence in her notes. Gibbs could tell that she was mulling the evidence over in her mind, and that she was already beginning to formulate a theory in her mind.

'What've you got Penny?' He asked her as he approached her as she looked at the back of the vehicle.

'Gibbs I'm confused. The 911 report said that there was the body of one marine officer, a civilian and one missing passenger, but from the road to where the vehicle crashed there is no way the caller could have seen that.' She explained as she voiced her thoughts out loud.

'So what you saying? The caller already knew who was in the vehicle?' Tony said as he stopped photographing briefly to look at his colleagues.

'Or maybe he was our shooter.' Ducky said as he drew their attention to the through and through gunshot wound to the head sustained by the driver. 'Time of death is approximately eight hours ago Jethro.'

They all noted both Penny's and Ducky's observations and began searching for evidence of such. Tony began photographing and documenting the driver whilst the others began searching for evidence on the road.

'Penny can you photograph and sketch the passenger?' He asked.

'Yeah sure.' She replied as she walked round to the other side of the vehicle.

She began taking photographs from the side first of all, noting that the passenger window was shattered.

'Gibbs?' She asked as she called him over, to which he replied in his usual impatient sounding grunt. 'Could the window have been shattered like this from the crash?'

Gibbs looked at the vehicle and immediately knew that most of the damage had occurred when the driver and passenger was shot, but the question reminded him that Penny was still a probie, and he wasn't the only one who forgot this.

'It's funny Penny, you've fitted in so well into the bosom of our family that I forget that you are really probie the second.' Tony said with a reminiscent look.

'Well hopefully not for much longer; I completed my first year with you guys last month so I will be sitting my final exams very soon and then will officially have completed my probation.' She replied with a very happy smile.

Everyone then turned their attentions back to the task in hand, with Tony photographing the driver and attending to the evidence on that side if the vehicle, whilst Penny looked at Gibbs for the answer to her previous question.

'No this hasn't been caused by the crash Penny. If you look closely you can see that the glass has been shattered with the force of the bullet, but it's remained intact apart from the hole…'

'Meaning that the bullet was travelling at a slower pace by the time it exited.' She finished off for him.

Gibbs nodded and walked off with a smile, feeling like a proud father after realising that Penny had really come into her own as an agent.

Penny turned her attentions to the rest of the vehicle and to the body of the passenger. He was a man in his late thirties/early forties, with dark, although slightly greying, hair and slight olivey skin. He was slumped slightly towards the passenger door of the vehicle, being held upright by his seatbelt. Penny carefully opened the car door and began photographing the evidence on the inside, but froze on the spot when she looked at the body.

'Gibbs?' She said with a raised voice, but tried again when she didn't receive a reply. 'GIBBS!' She said more urgently.

'What?' He said as he ran over to her, concerned by the tone of her voice, as were all the team.

They all stopped what they were doing to look at Penny and Gibbs with concern. Gibbs joined Penny by the body and took a deep breath when he identified the body. Penny glanced up at him and he could see that she had tears pricking at her eyes.

'Gibbs, it's Danny Green.' She explained simply as she confirmed the identity of her biological father.


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs hadn't noticed the identity of the passenger of the vehicle until Penny had pointed it out to him, but he was surprised to see that Penny appeared to be affected by Danny's death. Considering she didn't really know him and since his last appearance had caused her nothing but trouble, he was unsure why she was upset, but then he wasn't going to even attempt to question the logic of Penny Shepard.

'Ziva take over.' Gibbs said as he moved Penny away from the vehicle and away from Danny's body.

She appeared to be in shock as he led her over to the bonnet of their own vehicle.

'Are you OK?' He asked.

'Yeah, I'm OK. I guess it's just the shock.' She replied as she continued to look towards the vehicle rather than at Gibbs.

'Are you sure that's all it is?' He asked her, suspecting that there was more to her reaction than she was making out.

She looked at him sharply and he could see that he'd touched a nerve.

'Of course that's all it is!' She replied defensively.

Over by the vehicle Tony, Ziva and Ducky looked at Penny and Gibbs as they talked.

'What's going on?' Tony asked the group.

'No idea, but here comes McGee; maybe he'll know.' Ziva said as McGee cheerily joined them.

'What's going on?' He asked with a smile, unaware of the events that had previously unfolded.

'Well we're hoping you'll be able to tell us Tim. Penny identified one of our victims as Danny Green, and then Gibbs took her away.' Tony explained to a shocked looking McGee.

'Danny Green is Penny's biological father.' He replied simply with a sigh before walking over to his girlfriend with concern.

When Danny had first made an appearance three months before, McGee had been very supportive towards Penny, and they had spent hours talking about the situation. Once she had sent him away and told him that she didn't want anything to do with him, everyone had believed that it would be the last they heard of him.

'Is everything OK Penny?' He asked as he reached her, just as Gibbs began to walk away.

'Yeah I'm alright; it's just...well you know.' She said quietly.

McGee placed a comforting hand on her arm before they both turned their attentions back to the investigation at hand.

The team collected all of the evidence that they could before they lost the light. The bodies of the victims were removed by Ducky and Jimmy, and the five agents piled the vehicle and van with the evidence they had collected.

Gibbs noticed that Penny was very quiet after her discovery and it concerned him greatly, but his gut kept telling him that there was a lot more to her silence than first believed.

Once they returned to NCIS headquarters he immediately left the team and went to speak to Jenny. In his usual fashion he swung open the doors to her office without knocking and without waiting for Cynthia to phone through his arrival.

Jenny smirked as he sauntered in as she looked at him over the brim of her glasses. It was one of his many habits that greatly annoyed her, but one that she wouldn't change for the world.

'Everything alright Jethro?' She asked with a slightly concerned tone when she saw the expression on his face.

'Not sure. Danny Green was one of the victims of the motor accident that we attended.' Gibbs replied bluntly, exhaustion clearly plaguing his voice.

A shiver ran up Jenny's spine at his words, and she was shocked by what she heard.

'Oh my God. Does his family know yet?' She asked.

'Not yet. Penny wants to be the one to tell them, but that's really what I'm here to talk to you about. Are you certain that Penny hasn't seen Danny since we last saw him three months ago?' He replied.

Jenny was shocked at what he was implying, but she could see that his question was out of concern and not out of malice.

'Well have you asked her about it?' She asked him as she walked round her desk and perched herself on the edge.

'No I haven't. I thought that was a conversation best coming from you.' He replied as he took a couple of steps towards her and placed his arms around her waist, and kissed her on the forehead.

She smiled up at him slightly before grabbing her phoned and calling Penny's cell. She didn't take her eyes from Gibbs as she spoke to her daughter.

'Penny can you come up here for a moment?' She said before placing the handset back on its turret.

After a few moments the doors to Jenny's office swung open and Penny strolled through them, looking rather subdued. Jenny instantly picked up on her daughter's change in mood, and feared that Gibbs might be right that there was more to this than first thought.

'Is this a mom or director thing?' Penny asked as she stood in front of them both, and they could both see that Penny already had her defences up.

'I guess you could call it a mom thing.' She replied with a small smile without shifting look of concern. 'We're just a little worried about you that's all. Was quite a surprise for you to find Danny like that.'

'I'm sure I'll get over it.' Penny replied coldly, although she didn't intend to sound cold toward either Jenny or Gibbs, but she knew exactly where they were going with this and she knew she was going to have to come clean.

'You know that this investigation is going to throw up lots of…well…surprises. I need to know that you're OK with that? And also if there's anything you want to tell us?' Jenny pressed despite Penny's obvious reluctance to talk about it.

Penny took a deep breath and knew that they deserved to know, but she wasn't too sure how to explain it to them, or if they'd understand.

'I've spoken to Danny a couple of times since Christmas. He sent me a text on Christmas day to wish me a Merry Christmas; then in between Christmas and New Year he sent me a few more asking if we could meet up. He said that there was something that he needed my help with, only he wouldn't tell me what it was over the phone. I agreed to meet with him about three weeks ago and we just sat and talked for a while. At first we just talked about me and he told me about himself and his family, but then he said that he needed my help, but before he could tell me why his phone rang and he had to leave. We then arranged to meet again, but he's now dead.' She explained, feeling guilty that she'd betrayed her mom.

'Penny why didn't you tell us any of this before?' Jenny asked. She wasn't angry or disappointed, but she was saddened that Penny had felt that she had to do everything in secret.

'Because of everything that he'd done to you and to us before; it made me feel like I was betraying you in a way.' Penny explained as Jenny approached her and held her tightly.

Jenny hugged her daughter close and kissed her head, and felt guilty that she'd made her feel that way, but their tender moment was interrupted by a question from Gibbs.

'Penny when were you supposed to meet him?' He asked.

'Tomorrow.' She replied simply, making them all ask the question if this meeting had anything to do with his death.


	3. Chapter 3

Penny sat quietly in her living room with her feet up on the sofa, as she contemplated the situation she faced. Jenny and Gibbs were downstairs in their living room. They'd arrived home a couple of hours previously, and had barely spoken a word to each other since Penny's revelation.

She felt guilty for betraying her mom and was now questioning her own judgement. She hated herself for putting any of them in this awkward situation, but at the same time she felt justified in her actions. She never intended on hurting anyone, especially not her mom, but at the time she'd continued telling herself that she was meeting Danny due to professional courtesy. Now, as she sat in her living room, she asked herself what were her actual reasons for wanting to meet with him? Deep down she knew that part of her reasoning was because she wanted to find out more about who she was.

Ever since she'd found out that her parents were really her grandparents, and her sister was in fact her mother, she felt a gaping hole in her soul of who she was. She hated Danny for what he had done to Jenny, and in turn to her too, and she hadn't given him a lot of thought until he'd shown up three months previously; but once she had met him, a lot of questions surfaced in her mind.

At that moment Jenny appeared at the glass paned door that led into Penny's brightly lit living room, and after opening the door she hovered in the doorway. She didn't feel angry or upset by Penny's actions, if anything she was upset by her own. She knew that in recent months Penny had been struggling with the idea of who she was, and she knew that this was her fault. She deeply regretted ever lying to Penny about her situation, and now she was paying the price.

'Are you OK Pen?' She asked as she looked at her daughter.

'Yeah, it's just…I'm really sorry Mom. I never did any of this to hurt you, I hope you believe that?' She said as she pushed back the tears stinging her eyes.

Jenny watched her daughter try to keep her composure, and the guilt she felt almost broke her heart. She carefully walked over to where Penny was sat and hugged her tenderly.

'I know you never meant to hurt me and you haven't. It's me who should be saying sorry to you. I should never have put you in this position in the first place.' She whispered as they leaned back against the sofa.

Penny adjusted herself so that her head was resting on Jenny's shoulder with her arms wrapped around her; she then placed her thumb in her mouth resulting in a small laugh from her mom before she sighed deeply.

'Every time I think we're beginning to make a little headway with this situation something else comes along to bite us in the ass.' Jenny said irritably, but not with Penny. It was very rare for her to ever feel irritated by or with Penny.

'It'll be OK Mom. I guess there's never going to be anything entirely normal about this situation is there?' Penny said rather despondently.

'I know, I know.' Jenny replied.

'I never intended to go behind your back you know. It's just you had so much on your plate what with the baby and everything, and initially I had no intentions of meeting with him anyway.' Penny began to explain before Jenny interrupted her, knowing that there was more.

'But?' She asked.

'I guess part of me really wanted to know where I came from. I mean there's a whole side of me that I don't know about, and it wasn't something I had thought about until I saw him last year.' Penny explained, feeling that she at least owed her an explanation.

'It's understandable. I can't expect you not to have those kinds of questions. I'm just sorry that I'm part of the reason you have those questions.' Jenny replied sorrowfully.

'Will you stop apologising? Remember, rule number six.' Penny said with a smile, making the corner of Jenny's mouth twitch.

'Yes well despite Jethro's rule it isn't a weakness to apologise to family, especially when I am sorry.' She replied.

'It's not your fault; you were only doing what you thought was right at the time. To be fair Mom and Dad are just as much to blame for putting us in this mess.' Penny replied as she closed her eyes and rested. It had been a long time since they'd sat together like this and just talked. 'I think it's about time Mom found out the truth you know, especially since she's coming to stay with us next week.' She added after a few minutes of silence as she listened to her mom breathe.

'You could be right. Might make this situation a bit easier I guess.' Jenny replied sleepily as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Penny's.

Gibbs walked up the stairs to get ready for bed and realised that he hadn't seen Penny or Jenny for a little while. He walked up to the first landing and looked through the door of Penny's living room and found the mother and daughter asleep on the sofa, with Penny resting her head on Jenny's shoulder and sucking her thumb. He found it amusing how a federal special agent who was very brave and tough, despite her small frame and size, still sucked her thumb, and he smiled to himself as he thought about how innocent it still made her seem.

He was in two minds as to whether or not to wake them, especially since they seemed so peaceful in their slumber, but he knew that if he left them for much longer they would be very uncomfortable when they woke up. He slowly walked over to them both and gently shook them awake. Jenny was the first to waken, with Penny being somewhat more reluctant.

They both looked at him sleepily as they began to move from their position. Penny moved her head off Jenny's shoulder and yawned loudly. She hadn't noticed how tired she was until that moment.

'Ugh what time is it?' She asked in between her yawn.

'Nearly midnight.' Gibbs replied as he glanced at his watch, resulting in a groan from both women.

They all departed for their bedrooms after saying goodnight. After a long hard day, and a few surprises, they couldn't be happier to be at home in the peace and quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Penny drove out to the address of Danny's mother, her grandmother, who no doubt had no prior knowledge of her existence. She knew that in reality she couldn't tell her who she was and that she'd probably never find out the truth; but Penny was at least about to meet some of her heritage and that at least helped her to understand a little bit more about who she was.

Initially Gibbs had wanted her to go with someone, but she had been adamant that this was something that she had to do alone. Even Jenny had offered to go with her, much to Penny's amusement, but as both she and Gibbs pointed out to her it would prove very suspicious for the director of NCIS to turn up at a death visit.

As she parked the car outside the house she could feel her breath catch in her throat. She walked nervously up the path and wasn't sure if she was nervous because she was about to meet Ethel Green, or if it was because she was about to deliver bad news. She decided that it was maybe a combination of the two. Her hand quivered as she reached for the ornate door knocker on the white door, and she glanced around the street as she waited for the door to be opened.

After a few moments the door finally swung open and there stood in front of her was Ethel Green. She was of very similar build to Penny and had the same pasty skin tone. Her hair was a very subtle red, making Penny realise that maybe it wasn't only her mom that she got her red hair from. Considering she was in her early sixties she looked good for her age, with hardly a line on her face.

'Can I help you?' Ethel said as Penny realised that she'd been standing on the doorstep staring for a few moments longer than normal.

'Mrs Green?' She asked politely, already knowing who she was of course.

'Yes.' Ethel replied cautiously, already sensing something wasn't right.

Penny held out her identification badge as she introduced herself and watched as Ethel scrutinized every last detail to ensure she was who she said she was.

'I'm Special Agent Shepard of NCIS. Can I come in please Mrs Green?' She said and was surprised to find that Ethel didn't ask her what NCIS was; in fact she didn't show any sign that she was unsure who NCIS were.

Ethel stepped aside to let Penny in and she smiled as she walked passed her, but in that moment she really wished she'd taken Gibbs up on his offer and let him come with her.

'So what's this about Agent Shepard?' Ethel asked nervously as they both sat down in the living room.

Penny took a deep breath before she even began to contemplate giving Ethel the news and she briefly said a silent prayer as the words began to form on her lips.

'Mrs Green I'm very sorry to have to break this news to you, but your son Danny's body was found yesterday afternoon.' She said slowly and calmly, taking in the look of horror cross Ethel's face.

'A…ar…are you sure it's him?' Ethel stammered as the tears caught in the back of her throat as she tried to subdue the sob threatening to escape her.

'Yes I'm afraid we are. Would you like a drink of water or anything?' Penny asked and was grateful that Ethel nodded her head.

She excused herself as she went into the kitchen and took a glass from one of the cupboards and filled it with cold tap water. When she returned Ethel was now visibly upset and Penny sat beside her as she handed her the water.

'I am so very sorry for your loss. Is there anyone that I can call for you?' She said sympathetically.

'My…um…my daughter Chrissie, she works in DC. Has Danny's wife been told?' Ethel asked as she composed herself the best she could.

'Not yet Mrs Green, but someone will be sent to her home to inform her shortly. Do you happen to have an address for her?' Penny asked as she returned to agent mode.

'Yes I do. She moved to Arlington recently I have her address here somewhere. She and Danny separated a few months ago, so when he returned to California she stayed here.' Ethel said as she stood up from the sofa and walked over to the sideboard. She pulled out a small address book and a spare piece of paper where she wrote the address down and handed it to Penny.

'I know that this is difficult and I understand if you don't feel up to it just now, but are you willing to answer a few questions for us?' Penny asked cautiously as she took the paper from Ethel's hands.

'Yes of course. Anything I can do to help, although I'm not sure how much I can tell you.' Ethel replied as she sniffed back her tears. 'But first, can you tell me how it happened?'

'There was a car accident and a shooting, although it is unclear who the intended target was at this time.' Penny explained carefully, ensuring she gave enough information without giving too much. 'Can you think of any reason why he would have been with a marine at the time of his death?'

'Danny had been in the marine core, like his father, for nearly fifteen years; then about six or seven years ago he came out of the core but continued to work for them in…well…something to do with computers. I'm not too sure what to be honest.' Ethel explained.

'Is that what brought him to DC?' Penny asked as she wrote notes in her note book detailing everything that was being said.

'No it was a personal matter.' Ethel said as she pursed her lips together, forcing Penny to press further.

'I need to know what that personal matter was Mrs Green.' She said calmly although forcefully.

Ethel took a deep breath of annoyance as she launched into an explanation.

'A few months ago Danny discovered that he had a daughter that he'd had no prior knowledge of. He'd gotten his girlfriend pregnant when they were seventeen, but he'd believed she had the pregnancy terminated. Seemingly she didn't and he wanted to get to know his daughter.' She explained with a slightly irritated tone to her voice, making Penny unsure if she was annoyed at her existence or the fact that it was kept a secret.

'That must have been hard for him, for all of you.' Penny said as she busied herself with her note taking.

'It was hard for him I think, certainly a lot harder than he made out. I just wish he'd said something at the time.' Ethel replied absently, making it unclear if she was now just thinking out loud or actually speaking to Penny.

'So he never told you that Jen was pregnant?' Penny asked, astounded that for all these years she hadn't known even part of the truth.

'No he didn't mention anything about it, well not until recently anyway. He said that he'd made a lot of mistakes both when she'd told him she was pregnant and when he'd found out about his daughter a few months ago. I think he was hoping to make amends for those mistakes. Although I'm not quite sure how successful he was or would have been. Jenny was a sweet girl but once she got a bee in her bonnet about something I'm in no doubt that she can hold a grudge.' She replied with a small laugh, resulting in a small smile from Penny.

'OK Mrs Green I think I have enough for now. But before I leave I'll call your daughter to come and sit with you, OK?' Penny stood up from her position on the couch and walked into the kitchen, dialling the number the number Ethel had given her.

She spoke to Chrissie and asked her to come to her mother's house. She didn't explain the reasons why, as it wasn't news that she wanted to give over the phone. Chrissie had agreed to come over immediately, and Penny was pleased to have at least someone keep an eye on Ethel. She placed her cell phone back in her pocket before returning to the living room.

She noticed immediately that there was a subtle change in Ethel's demeanour, and Penny was curious to know what had happened in the few minutes since she had been away.

'Is everything alright Mrs Green?' She asked cautiously.

'You called Danny's ex-girlfriend Jen before I mentioned her name to you.' Ethel explained which resulted in a sigh of regret and disbelief from Penny as she closed her eyes. 'Are you Danny's daughter?'

Penny wasn't sure how to answer. She didn't consider Danny to be her dad, although biologically he was, and she didn't especially want a 'new' family either; yet she found herself nodding her head slowly just the same.

'And you didn't think it was important to tell me that?' Ethel replied angrily although calmly.

'You're right I should have informed you, but to be honest I wasn't sure what you knew and it's not the kind of thing you can just blurt out. Danny was my biological dad, but I already had a great dad and I've now got an amazing step-dad, and I wasn't sure I had room in my life for someone who turned their back on me.' She explained honestly to the older woman who seemed to accept the explanation provided.

However, she remained silent, making it unclear whether or not she was angry by Penny's revelation. Penny could see that she was mulling the information over, but wasn't sure what she was about to do with it.

'Is that the reason you came?' Ethel asked finally.

'Partly. Danny had said that he would introduce me to his family, I guess I just figured that this would now be the only chance I was going to get.' Penny replied with a very tiny smile.

Ethel was still dumbfounded by the revelation, leaving Penny unsure if she was angry or just surprised. But before they could continue their discussion further they were interrupted by the arrival of Chrissie.

When asked what was wrong Ethel broke the news of her brother's death to her daughter, and once she'd explained the circumstances Penny took it as her cue to leave. She was grateful that nothing more was said about who she was.

She returned to her car and drove the short distance back to NCIS headquarters. After her meeting with Ethel she didn't feel like playing out any more family reunions and decided to send Tony and Ziva to speak to Danny's wife.


	5. Chapter 5

When Penny walked into the squad room from the elevator she immediately came across a frenzy of activity from the team.

'What's going on guys?' She asked as she joined them.

'We just got a call from whoever kidnapped our missing person. Turns out that it's the Director of Homeland Security.' Tony explained, just as Jenny and Gibbs joined them.

McGee had paused the audio recording from the caller, and at Gibbs's request, he began to play it again as they listened intently.

Penny heard the disguised voice say that they were going to target every agency director until their demands were met. They wanted some kind of missile code for an operation that none of them, not surprisingly, had heard of.

'I'm fed up of being kept in the dark by the other agencies.' Jenny spat angrily.

She often felt that she was deliberately kept in the dark because she was a woman and often found that she wasn't invited to meetings. On this occasion though their lack of forthcoming about a mission could have cost someone, and possibly many more, their life.

'Don't get wound up about it Jen, you don't need the added stress; but you'll need to call a meeting with the FBI and the CIA.' Gibbs said to her whilst the rest of the team returned to their desks to start working on finding who and why was threatening the agency directors, including their own.

'Gibbs if their threatening all of the agencies' directors, then that includes Mom.' Penny said to them both, causing Jenny to sigh at the realisation.

'That's a point. In that case I want an agent with you at all times Jen; you don't go anywhere without them until we are sure it's safe again. Penny I think you should take the first shift, I'll then take over from you later. I'll get an agent to check out the house and make sure it's secure enough, then we'll make the decision whether or not we'll be going home tonight.' Gibbs said as he took control, much to Jenny's annoyance.

It was one part of her job that she hated, the protection detail. She knew it was an essential part of her job, but she felt she was perfectly capable of looking after herself.

Gibbs was pleased to see that she returned to her office without too much protest, Penny close by her side. He knew that she wouldn't be in too much danger in her office, but he didn't want to take the risk.

In Jenny's office Penny walked straight over to the sofa against the far wall. She felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened and wasn't sure how to deal with it. She didn't really want to burden her mom with the situation; it was bad enough with everything else that was going on, and after all the stress that she'd been under the last time Danny was in their lives, she wasn't sure how much more Jenny could take.

'How'd it go with Ethel?' Jenny asked as she joined her.

'It was the worst experience of my life. Actually make that my second worst.' She replied as she rested her head back against the sofa.

'What was the first?' Jenny said as she racked her brain to think what it could be.

'The explosion and us getting hurt; that is one experience I don't ever want to re-live. But this one definitely comes up a close second.' Penny explained as she took off her boots and rested her feet against the coffee table in front of her.

'So what happened?' Jenny asked as she looked at her daughter, noting how exhausted and drained she looked.

'Well I spoke to Ethel and broke the news to her about Danny's death, which went as well as can be expected for telling someone that their son has just died. But that wasn't actually even the worst part of it; that I can cope with.' Penny sounded exasperated as she explained the situation.

'So what was the worst part?'

'Ethel mentioned that Danny was in DC on "personal business", so when I pressed her for further information she explained how he discovered he had a daughter several months ago. She then went on to explain that she hadn't even been told that you were pregnant, so she didn't even know part of the truth until last year. Anyway I accidently mentioned your name before she told me it, so she put two and two together and realised who I was.' She said finally.

'Oh! How'd she take it?' Jenny asked.

'Better than I thought she would to be honest, but then again her daughter did arrive before we were able to discuss it properly. I'm not sure what to do though; I mean I don't want them to be part of my life as such. I've got a family and I'm happy with that.' She added, more to herself than to her mom.

'Well no-one is saying you have to have them in your life, but once this is all over it might be nice for you to get to know them and for them to get to know you.' Jenny explained as she placed her arm around Penny's shoulders, just as Gibbs entered the office.

'I forgot to ask about your visit to Ethel Green. How'd it go? Was she able to give you anything useful?' He asked.

'Actually she did. She said that he used to be in the marine core and that he resigned from the front line, but stayed on doing computer work. She wasn't more specific than that though, I'm not sure that she knew exactly what it was that he did.' She replied, still curious as to why he was in that car, especially with the director of Homeland Security.

'Do we have an ID on the other victim yet?' Jenny asked.

'Yeah his name was Derek Conway, but that's all we've got so far; his file was blocked by the FBI. Fornell's on his way over.' Gibbs replied with a slightly confused look, still unsure as to why the file was blocked.

'Right well I'm going to call a meeting with SecNav and the other agencies' directors just now. Hopefully someone might be able to shed some light on this.' Jenny said as she got up from her position and moved to her desk.

Gibbs took that as his cue to leave and Penny took the opportunity to rest.


	6. Chapter 6

Jenny sat in her office surrounded by Robert Mueller, director of the FBI, David Petraeus, the director of the CIA, Phillip Davenport, the Secretary of the Navy and the assistant director of Homeland Security, and former NCIS director, Tom Morrow. They were in deep and serious conversation about the situation at hand whilst Penny sat outside. Jenny had ordered her back down into the bullpen, but it was an order that Penny was willing to disobey to protect her mom.

'Do we have any leads on who it is that has made these threats against us?' Mueller said as he looked directly at Jenny.

'Not as yet. All I can tell you at this time is that we have been ordered to hand over the code to the missile for the mission code named operation star dust.' She replied, much to the dismay of the FBI director.

'How do they know about that operation?' He spat angrily.

'Well who knows? Especially since even I wasn't told.' Jenny replied calmly, not missing the opportunity to have a dig about being missed on the briefing.

'What do you mean by that?' Mueller said as he tried to keep his tone calm, even though his temper was already short.

'Well from what I understand every other director knew about this mission, and yet I have to find out about it from a group of wannabe terrorists.' She replied, still keeping her tone calm but forceful.

SecNav could see that the conversation was going to descend into a very heated debate very quickly, so decided to nip it in the bud. He raised his hand to stop them from speaking further, and both directors fell silent.

'We shouldn't be concerning ourselves with who has failed to pass on information to whom at this point. However, I would like to discuss this matter further at a later date, as Director Shepard should have been informed about the mission.' He said calmly.

Penny sat outside and listened to their muffled voices, smiling slightly when she heard her mom's voice raise a little. She hated how all the other directors and senators looked down their noses at Jenny because she was a woman, especially since she had proved herself to be more than capable, and in some respects better than them, at running her agency. She'd earned a lot of respect from her agents at NCIS and although they all questioned her authority in the beginning, no one would now hear a bad word against her.

As she sat outside waiting their muffled voices soon drifted into the distance as she stared out of the window into the navy yard and DC backdrop. She kept thinking about the case and trying to make sense of it all. She couldn't understand why Danny had been in that car with the director of Homeland Security and a high security…well they weren't even sure what he was yet either. It was certainly proving to be a complex case, which was only aggravated by the fact, for Penny anyway, that she couldn't work out what she should be feeling. She wasn't sure if she should feel upset or neutral, just like it was any other case.

When the door to Jenny's office opened and the directors began filing out, Penny jumped to her feet and smiled as they passed. She was glad that they were now leaving as it meant she could actually be with her mom when protecting her. Although she knew there wasn't too much danger that she could get into in her office, Penny was still worried about her mom and always took her responsibilities as protection detail seriously.

'How'd that go?' She asked as she entered the office, just as Jenny was sitting herself back in her chair.

'It was hard work and it's going to get even harder, because Jethro certainly isn't going to like what I have to tell him.' Jenny replied.

'Why what's wrong?' Penny asked as she attempted to stifle the small smile appearing on her lips.

'The CIA and FBI are sending over agents to work with us on the case. Fornell, Jethro can handle, but the fact that the CIA are sending over Trent Kort doesn't bode well.' Jenny sounded exasperated and clearly looked stressed, which concerned her daughter greatly.

'Well I'm sure Gibbs will handle it for your sake. He's been trying really hard to stay in your good books lately if you haven't noticed.' She replied, this time unable to hide her smile.

Ever since Jenny and Gibbs had gotten back together they seemed to argue less, and especially since she became pregnant they'd hardly argued at all. Gibbs was definitely trying to make things as easy for her as possible, although there was still the occasional moment when an argument would occur. However, it was a very rare occurrence for them to take their office arguments home, and that was something Penny was grateful for.

Gibbs entered Jenny's office and found the mother and daughter duo sat talking. He was intrigued to find out what had been said in her meeting, but he could tell from the look on his wife's face that she didn't have good news for him.

'So what's going on?' He asked.

'Something that you're not going to like Jethro.' Jenny replied with grimace. 'The CIA is sending over Trent Kort to assist us with our investigation.' She added quickly and braced herself for the tirade she was undoubtedly about to receive.

Gibbs stood in the centre of the room and was quiet for a few minutes. Both women could see he wasn't happy about the news, but he was trying his best to prevent himself from blowing his top. He knew that by him getting mad wasn't going to change the situation and that it would only stress Jenny out.

'Well just keep him out of my way then.' He said calmly before exiting the room.

'Wow he took that well!' Penny exclaimed in surprise.

'Are you kidding? I can guarantee we won't see him for the rest of the day now; he'll be in his basement with his boat.' Jenny replied a little resentful.

Of course she was right; Gibbs left the building immediately after their conversation and drove straight to his old place to his basement. Although he'd been living with Jenny for some months he still kept his house and boat. He enjoyed returning when he was need of some "me time" and when he needed to think. He enjoyed working on his boat and having a drink of bourbon. Sometimes Penny would join him when she wanted some quiet time. Neither of them would speak, but would work on the boat in quiet contemplation. Sometimes he would show her how to do something and explain things to her. It was something they both enjoyed doing together. It was the kind of father/daughter bonding that they both yearned for but had been previously unable to have.

Back at NCIS the team were hard at work on their case at hand. Ducky's autopsy had concluded that the driver had been shot first and the bullet had travelled first through the driver's window, through the head of the first victim and then through Danny's head and out of the passenger's window. It had to have been a powerful gun to have been able to inflict that kind of damage, something Abby was still struggling to identify in ballistics.

Tony entered Abby's lab in search of information. In Gibbs's absence he was in charge of the investigation. The team were all concerned about Penny and her situation, even if she'd never known Danny that well, so Tony wasn't surprised to walk into the lab to find Abby doing some sort of Chinese ceremony of good will.

'Abby do you have anything?' He asked but received no reply. 'Abs?' He said a little louder.

Abby looked at him with frustration at being interrupted, it clearly wasn't the first time today, but she appreciated that he needed a result for the case.

'Well without the bullet Tony I'm really struggling to find a weapon that could have inflicted that kind of damage with just a single shot. I've checked the car again and there was nothing to indicate that our shooter made more than one attempt. I also went over the crime scene photos again and judging by the tire marks, the vehicle was travelling at approximately seventy-five.' She explained in her usual hundred miles an hour tone.

'Seventy-five? Why so fast?' Tony asked rhetorically. 'I'll send McGee and Ziva back to the crash site to see if there's anything we missed. Did you get any prints from the car?' He added.

'Nothing useful as such. Are assailants wore gloves when they pushed the vehicle down the embankment, but the good news is that they wore leather gloves not latex. The leather was worn, really old, and a piece of cracked leather lodged itself in the licence plate. I'm running it through Major Maspec now.'

'Thanks Abs.' Tony replied as he headed out of the lab, much to Abby's annoyance that he hadn't left her a caf-pow.

Once he'd arrived back in the bullpen he could see that the FBI and CIA were already there, along with Jenny, and she clearly wasn't happy about the information she'd just received.

'You've had information regarding this group for several weeks now and your director didn't think it was important to tell us?' She asked rhetorically as she raised her voice slightly.

'This is definitely a pissing match none of us want to get involved with.' Penny said to him, from the corner of her mouth, as he approached and stood next to her.

'OK so what's happened?' He whispered back.

'Fornell has just informed her that the FBI has had intelligence for a while on a home-grown terrorist group. They've been smuggling in arms and drugs on and off for the last year and a half.' Penny explained as she continued to keep her voice lowered.

'Isn't that a bit odd for a terrorist group? I mean, arms dealing I understand, but drugs aren't really a terrorist's thing.' Tony replied.

'True, but they think it's all been a front for something a lot bigger. Also the drugs might have been a way for them to get money.' She said.

'OK so what's this got to do with the missing director and the threats against the others?'

'Well the FBI received information that there had been a break-in to the Pentagon a few weeks ago. They didn't think anything had been taken, but they've found out that some software has gone.'

'Software? Software for what?' Tony interrupted.

'Well I was about to tell you that before you interrupted me!' She scolded playfully. 'The software is for a new missile that's being designed by the MOD. I'm not sure what the software does but it's vital to the running of this missile. The FBI think the group has built a missile and are planning on using it, especially since they are demanding the access code for it.'

'Well this day just gets better and better.' Tony replied sarcastically.

'Yeah well I still don't understand how any of this links to Danny.' Penny added just as the elevator doors pinged open and a woman with young twin girls walked out.

'Uh oh, that's Danny's wife.' Tony said to Penny before disappearing to speak to Danny's wife.

Penny watched as he led them up the stairs to the conference room and couldn't take her eyes off the twins, her half-sisters. It was the first time she'd ever seen them in person. Now she was considering what her next step should be.


	7. Chapter 7

Charlotte Morgan sat in the conference room with Emily and Rebecca. Since splitting from her husband, six months previously, she'd been using her maiden name, making her feel more like her. Despite her irrefutable differences with her husband, though, she was still very upset about his death. They'd been together for a long time and he was a good father to their girls.

She was standing by the window, her daughters were sat quietly at the table drawing pictures, when a young female agent walked in. She instantly recognised the young woman from Danny's description; her short red hair, her pale skin and impressive green eyes.

Penny walked immediately towards Charlotte and wasn't sure how to greet her. She decided to keep it formal and held out her hand respectfully.

'Mrs Green I'm Penny Shepard, I'm sorry for your loss.' She said politely as Charlotte shook her hand.

'Charlotte, please.' She replied. 'You're Danny's daughter.' She added bluntly, indicating that she had spoken to her husband despite their separation.

'Yes that's right.' Penny said with a tight smile before an awkward silence fell between them, neither sure what to say next. 'Your girls are gorgeous.'

'Thanks, but don't let the innocent looks fool you, they're mischievous when they want to be.'

Penny smiled at Charlotte as she walked over to the two girls and joined them at the table. As she looked at them she saw her own four year old form staring back, they were the absolute spit of her at that age. They had very light blonde hair and dark hazel eyes, which were the only two differences between her and them, but everything else was exactly the same; from their chubby cheeked faces to the way they both bit their bottom lips whilst they were concentrating. It made her realise that she may have looked more like Danny than she first realised.

'Hello girls, my name's Penny; and who are you?' She asked as she sat.

The twins looked at her sweetly, one putting down her crayon. She was clearly the more confident of the two girls, her sister, on the other hand, was shyer and quickly turned her attention back to her drawing.

'I'm Rebecca.' The first little girl said.

'Well I'm very pleased to meet you Rebecca; so that must make you Emily.' Penny replied softly as she turned to Emily, who looked up at her words and gave a small smile. 'What are you drawing?'

'A cat. It's a black cat with a white tail.' She replied after a few minutes, deciding that she could trust the young woman in front of her.

Rebecca got up from her chair opposite Penny and moved round beside her, resting on her knee and taking her picture with her.

'I'm drawing a rainbow like the one we saw with Daddy last week.' She explained as she held the drawing up for Penny to see.

Penny looked at the picture of the rainbow and of three figures that she assumed were Rebecca with her sister and dad.

'That's me, that's Emily and that's our daddy.' Rebecca said as she pointed to each person before her face became saddened. 'Mommy says that Daddy's gone to heaven.'

Penny didn't know what to say to the young child to offer her any comfort, after all, she was still confused about how she should be feeling herself.

'Do you know my daddy?' Emily said as she looked up at them both.

Penny thought for a few minutes before replying. As much as she loved her job this was the part she hated. As an investigator it was often very easy to become quite blasé about death, after all, when you're surrounded by it most of the time you have to find a way of dealing with it; but it was easy to forget that the body in autopsy had once been a living human being, with feelings and a family who also has feelings.

'I guess you could say that. I'd met him once or twice and I'd been told a lot about him.' Penny replied finally.

'I can't believe he's gone.' Charlotte said after a few minutes as she looked at her daughters. 'I know we were separated and I've moved on, but I never wanted this.' She added with a melancholy tone.

'I know exactly what you mean.' Penny replied with a small smile as she looked up at the older woman.

'Do you have any idea what happened?'

'Unfortunately I can't really tell you very much. Due to my…connection, to the case, I'm limited as to how involved I can be; but in a moment Special Agent DiNozzo will come to speak to you about everything we know so far.'

Charlotte felt frustrated by Penny's lack of information, but she understood why she wasn't allowed to saying anything or be involved on the case.

After a period of five or ten minutes the door to the conference room opened and Penny turned to look at Tony, only to find it was Gibbs starring back at her. She was glad to see him return. As much as she loved DiNozzo, she still preferred Gibbs in charge and found him more comforting.

'Charlotte this is Special Agent Gibbs.' She said as she introduced them both, and Gibbs held out his hand to shake Charlottes.

'I'm very sorry for your loss.' He said as they then both sat down at the table.

'I always knew his work would get him killed; I wanted him to leave, take early retirement, but no his job was too important.' Charlotte explained bitterly, finally allowing her anger to rise into her throat.

Penny's face contorted with confusion at Charlotte's words, how could his job as a computer analyst get him killed? It didn't make sense. A quick glance at Gibbs told her that he too was confused by her statement.

'I'm sorry, I don't quite understand. Didn't he work as a computer analyst?' She asked.

'You mean you don't know? He worked for the Secret Service.' Charlotte replied, leaving Penny and Gibbs feeling stunned.

At no point in their investigation had they been given a clue that he worked for the Secret Service.


	8. Chapter 8

'Danny was what?' Jenny asked in astonishment at the news delivered by Penny and Gibbs.

'You heard Jen.' Gibbs replied, still in disbelief himself.

'And there was no indication prior to this?' She said.

'Nope, there was nothing until Charlotte mentioned it just now. It would explain why McGee couldn't get any information on the driver, he's also secret service.' Gibbs filled in before Penny interrupted him.

She'd been sat in quiet contemplation before that, rattling a question round in her mind before voicing it.

'Gibbs I have a question that's been puzzling me. The 911 call said that the driver was a marine, yet, as I mentioned before, there was no indication of that at the scene, and as it transpires the driver is actually Secret Service; so why say he was a marine?' She said, making both Jenny and Gibbs think.

'They wanted us to get involved first, especially since they sent us the message.' Jenny suggested.

'But why? How would that benefit them?' Penny replied, now completely confused.

'Because we're at the bottom of the food chain. They know that we aren't privy to the same information that the other agencies are, therefore we're always a few steps behind them.' Gibbs explained in realisation.

'I'm still really confused as to the why?' Penny said.

'Because the FBI already had intelligence on them, just not the intelligence to share the information.' Jenny replied as she rolled her eyes. 'Meaning we don't know a lot about them, and their threat against the agency directors would mean security would be increased, but in the wrong place.'

'They're not targeting the directors; they're targeting the navy.' Penny added as she finally understood. 'But what are they planning to target? I mean the missile they've built could easily take out the whole navy yard, not to mention several ports.'

With that Gibbs hastily left the room, giving Penny a look that said she just gave him a clue. She stayed with Jenny, still not wanting to leave her side, just in case.

'So why was the Secret Service protecting the director of Homeland Security?' She asked as she pulled a chair up to Jenny's desk.

'Well, hopefully, that's what I'm about to find out. I'm going to contact the director of the Secret Service and hope he can shed more light on it.' She said as she placed the receiver against her ear.

Downstairs Gibbs pulled Fornell into the elevator, neither saying anything at first. Gibbs waited for a few moments before flicking the emergency button, causing the elevator to stop suddenly.

'We have reason to believe that this terrorist group are going to target either the naval base or the port. What can you tell me Tobias?' Gibbs asked irritably.

'Not a lot Jethro. They're a home grown group who made a couple of empty threats against the Pentagon. There is a possibility that we've linked they're activity to the death of a Pentagon employee, but the matter is still under investigation. There was also a very small amount of evidence that suggests they may have links to Al Qaeda, but nothing concrete.' Fornell explained with equal frustration.

'So we've got nothing to identify what their target is!' Gibbs replied as he punched the emergency button once again.

They both returned to the bullpen to inform the team of the information they had.

'What've we got?' Gibbs asked as he turned to his team.

'Well boss I've been investigating the threats that were made against the director of Homeland Security. They're also sending over an agent to help with the investigation. The threats were sent by email, initially to the Pentagon. They indicated that the director would be taken hostage within twenty-four hours from the time it was sent.' McGee explained as he brought up the information on the screens.

'Can we trace where the emails came from?' Gibbs asked.

'I can try, but they won't have made it easy; it may take a day or two.' He replied, knowing Gibbs wouldn't accept a couple of days as the correct answer.

'Not good enough McGee, we need that information now. Get Penny to help.' Gibbs said, just as McGee had predicted.

'But boss, she's still on protection detail with the director.'

'The director also has a computer!' Gibbs shouted irritably.

With that McGee quickly left the squad room and went upstairs to the director's office. Penny was sat alone in the office when he arrived, leaving him slightly confused.

'Where's Jenny?' He asked her as he set a couple of files down onto the conference table.

'Restroom.' Penny replied with a small smile. 'She's remembering that one of the downsides to being pregnant is the fact that she has to pee more. So what are doing up here?'

'Gibbs sent me. I'm trying to trace where the emails came from that were received by the pentagon, as well as the voicemail message. He wanted you to help, so he sent me up to you.'

'Ah good old Gibbs, always managing to find a solution.' She replied sarcastically, with a slight roll of her eyes.

'What's going on?' Jenny asked as she came out of the rest room.

'Well Director, I need to ask if I can borrow your computer for a while to try and trace where these emails came from.' McGee explained.

McGee found, that even though he'd spent a lot of time with Jenny outside the office, in her capacity as director, she was still quite intimidating to him. He believed that she deserved the utmost respect, something that she sometimes wished she'd get from her other agents.

'Of course, go ahead.' She replied, a little unsure as to why he was doing it in her office instead of his own computer, but she knew better than to question the motives of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

She removed a few files from her desk and began reading them at the conference table, glad of the excuse to be able to spread out a little easier.

For the next few hours Penny and McGee worked endlessly to try and trace the source of the emails. They'd managed to ascertain that the IP address from which the emails were sent was local, but when they tried to find out more information, that's when they hit upon their biggest problem.

'Uh oh McGee what's happening?' Penny said as she referred to the fact their computer was trying to extract files from itself, download them to an outside source before removing everything.

'Whoever owns the IP address has uploaded a virus to our system. It's removing all of the information we have on them, but if we don't stop it now it'll start removing everything from our files too.' McGee said as he urgently tried to stop the virus.

'What does that mean?' Jenny asked, panic evident in her voice.

'It means that if we don't stop this, whoever uploaded the virus will have access to every case and bit of sensitive information within this agency.' Penny explained as McGee desperately typed into the keyboard. 'What if we can't stop it McGee? Maybe we should just try containing it for now, until we can figure out a way to stop it.'

'That's not a bad idea Pen. I'll mirror my firewall so that it'll bounce around the system, it won't be able to collect any information, but we'll be able to see where it is later.' McGee replied.

'How did we allow this to happen?' Jenny said with frustration and fear.

'We didn't just let it happen, we'd secured the computer first, built in extra protection to try and prevent this sort of thing, before we even started trying to trace the emails. The only way that this could have happened is someone within a secured network has dug into our system whilst we've been searching theirs.' Penny explained a little indignantly, and a bit annoyed at her mom's attitude.

'OK so what kind of a secured network are we looking at?' Jenny asked, a lot softer this time.

'One like we've got within MTAC.' McGee replied with great concern.

'Great, so our hacker is within a government agency.' Penny said as she realised what it meant.

'Yeah it means exactly that Penny. Problem is which one?' McGee added.

'The Pentagon!' Penny exclaimed in realisation. 'They had a break in a few weeks ago, but they never got anyone for it or had any evidence. No wonder when it was internally. They'd have known exactly how to disable the security networks to make it look like a physical break in, but it wasn't, it was virtual.'

Jenny picked up the receiver of her telephoned down to Gibbs.

'Jethro can you come up with Kort and Fornell please?' She said before hanging up.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait long before the office doors swung open and Gibbs walked in, closely followed by the other two agents as requested.

'From my understanding there was a joint investigation into the break in at the Pentagon between the CIA and the FBI; yet we have just discovered more information within a couple of hours than either agency did within several weeks.' Jenny scorned.

'What've you found?' Fornell replied as he looked at the people round the room.

Both Penny and McGee looked at Gibbs for approval before they launched into their explanation of their discovery.

'The break in at the Pentagon wasn't physical, it was virtual.' McGee stated, causing the other three agents to look confused. 'Whoever broke in disabled the security networks to make it look like a physical break in, before they sent in a worm through the secured network to retrieve the information they required. The only way they could have done that though is if they had internal knowledge.' McGee explained further.

'Meaning our terrorist group has got someone on the inside. Chances are that's what Danny wanted to tell me; he did mention something about an internal breach, but he wasn't able to go into more detail at the time.' Penny said as she recalled her conversation with her estranged father.

'What can you tell us?' Jenny said as she turned her attentions to Kort, who had been quiet throughout.

'Nothing at the moment. We received no intelligence to suggest any internal involvement in the robbery, or that there was a connection to the terrorist group.' Kort replied.

'McGee can you find out which computer at the Pentagon sent the emails?' Gibbs interjected.

'Well boss whoever sent the emails created a virus to protect their identity. We've managed to stop it from penetrating any further into our security, but we won't be able to trace where it came from without jeopardising our own security.' He explained.

'So what do you suggest next Jethro?' Jenny asked as she turned to Gibbs.

'We go to the source, start rattling a few cages.' He replied as he indicated to McGee, Fornell and Kort to follow him, leaving Penny and Jenny in the office.

'Well whilst they're away doing that, I think it's time we headed home. I'll take a few files and work on them this evening.' Jenny said as she put on her coat, passing Penny hers as they headed towards the town car already waiting for them.


	9. Chapter 9

The four NCIS agents, Fornell and Kort arrived together at the Pentagon to begin their questioning. On the journey McGee had explained that he believed he could use the secured network, at the Pentagon, to bypass the virus and locate where it had originated from. As per usual Gibbs didn't care how it was done, just as long as it got done.

When they entered the Pentagon they spoke to Charlie Bowles, one of the higher ranking security officers. He spoke to Gibbs and Fornell, who advised him what they required. He guided them into a private room and allowed McGee to "do his thing", whilst the others began questioning the employees.

It took him a while, but once he'd penetrated the security system he'd soon located their suspect.

'Boss, we're looking for Brian Symkiss.' He said, causing immediate action from Gibbs and the rest of the team.

Bowles led them to the office of Brian Symkiss, a middle aged man with greying hair, glasses and a localised accent.

'Brian Symkiss?' Gibbs asked on entering the office space, his weapon drawn, just in-case.

'Yeah that's me.' Symkiss replied in fear.

'DiNozzo cuff him and read him his rights!' Gibbs ordered the younger agent, who immediately did as he was instructed, allowing McGee to then take Symkiss's place behind his desk.

'What've we got McGee?' Gibbs asked as he joined him.

'He was in the process of sending another email…' He began to explain before stopping abruptly.

'Well what does it say McGee?' Gibbs asked impatiently.

McGee was speechless and couldn't bring himself to voice what he had just read, so he turned the computer screen to face Gibbs, allowing him to read the information for himself. As he read the words in front of him, he found his own blood run cold for a brief second before he pulled himself together. His instant change in demeanour greatly concerned his colleagues and friends. In all the years they had known him, not once had they ever seen him fazed by information.

'What's the matter?' Fornell asked with concern.

Only for the second time in his life was Gibbs left speechless and with a feeling of dread. Due to his lack of response Fornell moved the screen round to face him, stating the general gist of the email to the rest of the team.

'The terrorist have taken Director Shepard and Penny hostage.' He said and was greeted by terrified faces starring back at him.

'McGee bag and tag that computer and everything else in this damn office!' Gibbs shouted as he returned to his senses. 'Ziva I want you to get statements from anyone and everyone who has worked, talked or even shared the head with Symkiss!' He added before sweeping out of the room and towards Tony in the waiting car.

On his way to the car he frantically phoned every number imaginable in search of his wife, he tried Jenny's office, then her cell, then Penny's cell and finally their home; there was no answer from any of the numbers.

As he approached the vehicle he once again drew his weapon before thundering in beside Symkiss, point the gun in his direction.

'Tell where they are?' He roared angrily.

'Boss what's going on?' Tony asked with concern.

'McGee just checked this bastard's computer, he was about to send us another email, only this time they're claiming they have Jenny and Penny.' He explained without removing his eyes from Symkiss.

'Look I don't know anything I swear!' Symkiss cried out in panic. 'I just get the phone calls telling me who to contact and how. I don't know anything…You've got to believe me!'

'Do not lie to me! That's my wife and daughter, so you tell me where they are before I put a hole in each of your knee-caps.' Gibbs continued to threaten, even making Tony tremble.

'Look I'm in the same boat as you; they have my wife and daughter too.' Symkiss whimpered.

Gibbs lowered his weapon slightly, realising what Symkiss was saying was the truth.

'DiNozzo, get us out of here!' He ordered, and out of fear of suffering Gibbs's wrath he drove them back to NCIS as quickly as he could.

Elsewhere, Penny found herself laid on the floor in a warehouse of some kind. It smelt of old oil and gas, and she could feel grit and dust under her cheek. As she tried to move she realised that her hands and feet were bound together, and she struggled to get up. As she came too completely she began to remember what had happened.

Their town car had pulled up, as usual, outside the front of their Georgetown home, allowing Penny to exit to ensure the property was secure before allowing her mom, and ultimately director, out. As she approached the front door she heard a noise behind her and then a gunshot; she turned just in time to see Hector, their driver, slump to the ground, blood billowing from a wound in his chest. She also saw Jenny being dragged from the vehicle and bundled into a black SUV. She had instinctively raised her weapon to shoot a couple of rounds, when someone grabbed her from behind and placed a cloth over her mouth. She soon lost consciousness and was oblivious to what had happened next.

Once she was finally sat up she was able to look around her, seeing her mom tied to a chair a few metres from her.

'Mom are you alright?' She asked as she began to shuffle toward her.

'Yeah they haven't harmed me, yet; a bit man-handled but otherwise I'm OK.' Jenny replied with a faint smile. 'Are you OK?'

'I will be in a second.' She replied, slightly out of breath, as she finally reached her mom, feeling comforted by her presence. 'Are you sure you and flump are OK? They didn't do anything to hurt either of you?'

'Honestly I'm fine. They won't do anything to hurt me I can assure you. They need me to be as unharmed as possible to use as a bargaining tool later.' Jenny assured her daughter, who still didn't look convinced.

'Right well, first thing's first, gotta get us out of these ropes.' She replied as she began fidgeting.

'And how do you suppose we do that? Your hands are tied behind your back, and it looks like they've tied them pretty tight.' Jenny asked pessimistically, but then looked on in amazement.

Penny shuffled her hands under her bum, down her legs, pushing them through the loop and over. She was then able to access her belt, which she undid and then yanked the buckle free, revealing a concealed knife. She was then able to, with some level of difficulty, release her hands and her legs.

'Where exactly did you learn to do that?' Jenny asked in astonishment at her daughter's flexibility.

'Believe me when I say you probably don't want to know.' She replied with a smile, slowly beginning to slice the knife through the ropes tying her mother. 'Right we need to get you out of here.'

'Correction, we need to get out of here; I'm not going anywhere without you.' Jenny corrected.

'Hmmm well the agent's handbook clearly states that an agent must be willing to lay down their life for their director. Therefore, as my director, you are my priority.' Penny said mischievously.

'Yeah well the un-written guide to parenthood clearly states that a parent should protect their child at all costs; therefore, that trumps the agent handbook.' Jenny retorted.

Penny smiled slightly as she walked around the room in which they were concealed. There was a door towards the back of the building. There was light underneath it, and the occasional shadow passing. She stopped for a few minutes to watch the shadow, realising that it disappeared for about thirty seconds before passing again. There was a guard outside the door, walking up and down a form of corridor. She then turned her attentions to the lock.

Looking at the lock it was simple enough to pick, but she didn't have her tools to pick locks. She then instinctively raised her hands to her head where she felt two Kirby grips. She then returned to her mom to inform her of her plan of action.

'OK there's one guard outside, he's walking in a corridor and passes the door every thirty seconds, he pauses very briefly at the door and then continues to walk. I think I can un-pick the lock and immobilise him so we can get out.' She explained.

'OK, I know I've taught you to un-pick locks, but do you know how to immobilise someone without a weapon?' Jenny asked with great concern.

Penny smiled coyly and gave a very small laugh before replying.

'Have you forgotten that I'm friends with Ziva?' She said with a raised eyebrow.

She led her mom over to the door and placed her behind her before bending down to examine the lock. As a child picking locks had been one of her favourite pass-times; the trickier the lock, the bigger the challenge, the more Penny liked it. Jenny had taught her well.

The lock was very easy to pick, and the door was unlocked within a matter of seconds. She opened it a tiny fraction whilst the guard was walking in the opposite direction, and then she waited for him to return. Once he was in-line with the door he turned his back for a brief moment to examine the corridor behind him, allowing Penny to jump him.

Without hesitation she swung the door open and grabbed his right hand, immediately delivering a thumb tap which froze him to the spot. She then swiftly placed her fingers against his carotid sinus, rendering him unconscious and slightly scaring Jenny.

'You've been spending far too much time with Ziva and Jethro.' She said with the smallest of smiles.

Penny picked up the guard's gun and checked him for other weapons. She found a spare hand gun, which she handed to Jenny, and a security pass of some kind. She collected each item as she looked around for a way out, praying that they had a while before anyone realised they were missing.

'OK so which way now?' She asked Jenny.

They found themselves in a long, white corridor with three possible exits; one to the right, one to the left and one straight ahead of them, slightly right of the door they'd just come from. There was no clear indication as to which direction was the correct one, so they both had to use their gut and hope they were right.

'I think we should try to get to a phone rather than try to escape. If we try to escape we won't stand a chance, they'll have us hidden in the middle of nowhere and they'll shoot us before we could get half a mile.' Jenny said authoritively.

'Right, well may I suggest going straight ahead?' Penny suggested.

With that they both headed down the corridor as quickly as they dared without making a sound. About twenty metres into the corridor there were a couple of swing doors, on the other side of which the corridor continued; to the right of the doors was another corridor. As they approached the first set of swing doors they saw two members of the terrorist group coming towards them.

'This way, quick!' Jenny said as she grabbed Penny's hand and led her down the corridor to the right.

They hid in the doorway to a room which slightly shielded them from view, allowing them to remain unseen. They stayed in position for a couple of moments, waiting to hear if there were more men coming. It was then that Penny peered in through the small window of the door and saw a form of communications room.

'Mom, look!' She exclaimed.

Jenny tried opening the door but found it to be locked, meaning Penny's skills of unlocking were once again going to be tested. Penny removed her Kirby grips from her hair again and began unpicking the lock; however, this lock was slightly more difficult than the previous one.

'Quick Penny someone's coming!' Jenny said urgently as Penny hastily unlocked the door.

Thankfully they were able to get inside the room before someone came down the previous corridor and passed their door. They both breathed a sigh of relief before turning their attentions to contacting the team. As Penny looked at the equipment in front of her, Jenny locked the door, hopefully protecting them from interruptions.

'The lines are dead.' Penny informed her with frustration as she put the receiver of the telephone back on its turret.

'What about the radios?' Jenny asked as she referred to the radio switchboard.

'Well I can try.' Penny replied as she began fiddling with the buttons and trying to get a signal, but initially only getting white noise. 'Any idea where we are yet?'

'I think we're in an old hospital. I can't remember the name of it but I remember it being closed down about ten years ago.' Jenny replied as she stood watch, holding the gun Penny had acquired.

After a lot of adjustments Penny finally tuned the radio frequency to an emergency line; it wasn't NCIS, as she had intended, but it would certainly do for now.

'Hello can anyone hear me?' Penny said into the radio, which still sounded crackly but was clear enough for her to reply.

'Hello ma'am? You've reached Virginia State Police.' A male officer said.

'My name is Special Agent Penny Shepard, I'm with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in DC.' She explained.

'Naval Crimi…what?' The officer replied, causing both Penny and Jenny to roll their eyes.

'NCIS, we're a federal agency for the Navy. Look we're in serious danger; we've been kidnapped and I need to contact Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs urgently.' She replied quickly.

The officer asked her to clarify further details regarding the kidnapping and their location before he passed it to one of his colleagues. Once his colleague had all the information to contact Gibbs, it took her little over five minutes before the team were reached.

'Penny? Jenny? Are you there?' They heard Gibbs's voice ask as he spoke over the radio.

'Gibbs we're here.' Penny said with delight.

'Thank God! Is Jenny with you?' He asked after his wife, a slight hint of fear to his voice.

'I'm fine Jethro.' She replied with a hint of a smirk at his tone.

'Gibbs it's been almost an hour since we broke free from the room in which we were being held. If they haven't noticed we're missing yet they soon will.' Penny explained.

'The officers mentioned that you think you're in a hospital. Any idea where?'

'I'm not sure Jethro, but what I do know is that it's about an hour away, and I think it was abandoned about ten years ago. Penny's right though Gibbs, we've no idea how much longer we're going to be safe in here.' Jenny replied.

'Well I've got McGee trying to use the radio frequency to locate you and we're about to use a helicopter to get to you as soon as possible. I just need you both to hang in there a moment longer.' He reassured before handing the radio back to the police officer. 'McGee what've you got?'

'I've located the signal to a location about eighty miles north from here; but I can't narrow the area to less than a ten mile radius boss.' McGee explained.

Gibbs turned and looked at Tony and Ziva who were standing by some computers at the local police station.

'Checking local hospitals within the area now boss.' Tony said as he immediately took control of a computer and began his search. 'I've got the location boss.' He said finally after a few minutes of searching.

He printed out the information and handed it to Gibbs, who then left the building and headed towards the helicopter already waiting for them, closely followed by the rest of the team.


	10. Chapter 10

'I hope they get here soon. I'm not too sure how much longer we're going to be able to stay safe.' Penny said, showing fear for the first time since the ordeal began.

'He'll be here soon, they all will; and then we can get out of here and forget about the whole thing.' Jenny replied as she tried to convince herself as much as Penny.

'Anyway, why are you still standing guard? I shouldn't be letting you do that. Come sit down, I'll stay watch for a while.' Her daughter ordered, clearly giving Jenny no option to argue.

Jenny was sat for no more than a couple of minutes when they both heard a commotion erupted down one of the other, nearby corridors; it was very apparent that their escape had been found and that they were now in more danger than before.

A group of three or four men passed the room in which they were held, their guns held high with murderous looks in their eyes. Penny was in no doubt that they would both be shot in a heartbeat if they were caught.

'What do we do now? Make a run for it?' She asked her mom.

'No, the best thing we can do right now is stay right here, for now; they have no idea how long it is since we escaped the room in which we were held captive, so they'll assume that we've left the building and are trying to escape the grounds. They'll check there first. Hopefully in that time Jethro and the others will arrive and we won't need to do anything more.' Jenny explained, but it was evident that, despite the façade of strength and bravery, Penny was struggling to contain her fear.

Soon after their conversation they heard doors opening in the corridor, there was shouting coming from someone, in Arabic, approximately three or four doors down from them. Penny could feel her heart racing as she positioned her gun in anticipation, realising that they must be searching every room in the building. Just as someone placed their hand on the door handle, there was a lot of shouting before a shot rang out and then several more.

Both mother and daughter were confused for a few moments until they heard a comforting voice.

'DiNozzo you check this corridor.' They heard Gibbs shout.

Without hesitation Penny opened the door, closely followed by Jenny. Gibbs couldn't help his smile and look of relief as he saw them standing before him, unharmed and clearly unscathed by the experience.

'Jethro, thank God!' Jenny said as she approached her husband, who grabbed her and wrapped her in a passionate embrace.

As McGee rounded the corner of the corridor he was delighted and relieved to see his girlfriend alive and well. Like Jenny and Gibbs, he went to hold Penny in a tight embrace, taking her a little by surprise, but she reciprocated his passion.

Their tender moment was interrupted by the arrival of Fornell and a couple of members of his team.

'Jethro we've found the director of Homeland Security. He's been beaten and a little worse for wear but he'll be OK.' He explained.

'What about the missile? Any news on that?' Tony asked.

'Ziva's downstairs in a basement garage of some sort. She's found it and is hopefully in the process of disarming it.' Fornell replied.

'Correction, she has disarmed it.' Ziva said as she joined the team.

'What about the terrorists?' Penny asked, still afraid that they were at risk from being attacked.

'We think we've got them all, or at least most. There were fifteen here altogether. Three of them committed suicide before we even got near them, cyanide pill; eight of them were shot on our arrival and the remaining four we've taken into custody. We'll interrogate them before we ship them off to Gitmo.' Fornell replied before Gibbs took control of the crime scene once again.

'I want you to go to hospital, get checked out. McGee…' He began to say before Jenny interrupted him.

'Hospital? What for? I wasn't hurt!' She exclaimed indignantly.

'I don't care Jen, I want you to be checked out, make sure both you and the baby are alright.' He said to her under his breath, but with a no nonsense tone. 'I don't know what you're smiling at; you're going with her.'

Penny's face dropped immediately; she hated hospitals, always had, and Gibbs knew it, Jenny knew it…in fact everyone knew it.

'But why Gibbs? I wasn't hurt either and I'm definitely not pregnant!' She said as she began to object before Gibbs cut her off mid rant.

'No arguments Penny. You were drugged and left unconscious before being stuffed in the trunk of a car; there is no way in hell I am letting you escape without being checked out first.' He scolded and noticed Jenny give her daughter a glare that said she agreed.

Penny sighed deeply and didn't attempt to argue further, realising that her attempts were futile. Gibbs then reprised his previous orders, ensuring everyone knew what they were doing.

'McGee, Tony, Ziva, bag and tag everything in this place, I don't want anything left. Ducky is on his way with Palmer to deal with the bodies. I'm going to the hospital with these two.' He explained before he left with his wife and step-daughter.

By the time they'd reached the helicopter still waiting for them, both Penny and Jenny's adrenaline had dropped and exhaustion began to kick in. It had been an eventful couple of days for everyone, but most of all for Penny.

She fell asleep shortly after the helicopter took flight, making both Jenny and Gibbs smile. Jenny felt as if she could drop off to sleep herself and she felt her eyes fluttering. Gibbs wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder and he kissed her forehead. She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt a flutter in her stomach, causing her eyes to spring open. Her sudden reflex movement startled Gibbs and he glanced at her urgently.

'Everything alright?' He asked.

'Yeah, yeah it's fine; the baby just moved!' She exclaimed with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

After a few days of well-earned rest, both Penny and Jenny were back at NCIS. The hospital had given them both a full check-up and a full bill of health, neither being worse for wear due to their ordeal. Now the only thing they had to contend with was going to Danny's funeral.

Initially Penny had decided that she wasn't going to go. She didn't feel right going to someone's funeral that she didn't really know; but Charlotte had persuaded her that she had a right to say goodbye as well. Jenny agreed to go with her; although she wasn't sure she felt right going either.

As the father of her child, despite how their relationship had ended and his having no contact with Penny for most of her life, she felt that she should go to pay her respects, but there was always that small part of her that resented what he had done. In some respects she hoped that going to the funeral would help her to come to terms, finally, with what had happened twenty-three years previously.

'Are you ready to go Pen?' Jenny asked.

'Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be.' Penny replied somewhat reluctantly.

This day reminded her of her father's, Jasper's, funeral when she was just ten years old. She remembered how it had been Jenny who had got her ready, who had, as always, been there to comfort her when she cried. Their mother, Sarah, had been so distraught at her husband's death that she'd almost found it impossible to function. The circumstances reminded Penny just how much Jenny meant to her and how close she'd come to losing her on several occasions.

She was silent for most of the journey, deep in thought about everything that had happened. It was then that she realised that she'd finally accepted that Danny had been part of her life and she came to terms with what he'd done.

When they arrived at the church they sat towards the back, trying to remain in the background as much as possible. Although she'd accepted that Danny had been part of her life, she didn't want to intrude on the grief of his true family. However, Ethel Green still made a beeline for them at the end.

'Thank you both for coming.' She said her face visibly tearstained.

'Well if there's anything we can do for you, please just let us know.' Jenny replied a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

'There is something actually, keep in touch won't you. I want to be able to get to know you Penny and I want to find out more about what happened from you Jenny.' Ethel explained as she forced her tears back, gripping Jenny's hand encouragingly.

'I promise, in a few weeks once you've had time to grieve and come to terms with what has happened, we'll be in touch.' Jenny replied genuinely, receiving a curt nod from Ethel.

Nothing more was said about the situation; everyone disappeared to the wake and Penny and Jen went home to Gibbs, both finally getting the closure they needed.

Life returned to some sort of normality for them both after the funeral, but unbeknown to them, after the rescue operation, the director of Homeland Security and the Secretary of the Navy had both made recommendations that all agents involved receive commendations for their work. Although Gibbs hated these award ceremonies, especially when he was one of those receiving one, Jenny had made him promise that he'd attend, for Penny's benefit.

SecNav had booked a large room at one of the fanciest hotels in Washington, the Fairmount Hotel in downtown Georgetown. It was going to be one of the biggest events NCIS had been the pleasure of participating in, giving that they usually got overlooked. All the other agency directors and assistant directors were present, as well as local politicians and senators. Jenny had a feeling that SecNav was using the case and rescue as a massive publicity stunt for the agency, but for once she didn't care, because she couldn't have felt more proud of her daughter.

The family of three now found themselves in their Georgetown home getting ready. Gibbs stood in the hallway trying to adjust his tie whilst Jenny felt like choking him with it. She continued to straighten it as he tried to bat her hands away.

'Jethro will you stop moving please?' She scolded.

'I hate these things, you know that Jen.' He replied.

'Well you agreed to come for Penny's sake, not your own. Besides, she hates these things more than you do.' She explained as she finally gave up in his wayward tie.

'Why?' He asked.

'She gets really nervous in front of people. In fact she once had a piano recital when she was eight; she got herself that worked up that she vomited everywhere and was so upset. Our dad had to dash off home to get her a change of clothes before she went on. I have to admit that despite it all, she somehow found the courage to go on.' She replied proudly. 'I only ever got to go to those events occasionally, whenever my dad could persuade my mom to let me go. Having said that I was never at home long enough or at the right time to go.' She added sadly.

'Do you still blame them?'

With that question she looked up at him and searched for the answer. It's something that she'd asked herself many times over the last twenty-three years, but with recent events she realised that her answer had now changed.

'I used to, but now I realise that they didn't do it out of malice for either of us. I don't really blame Danny anymore either. I used to blame him for walking away; I thought that if he'd stayed then my parents wouldn't have forced me to give Penny to them. I blamed them all for missing out on so much, but if it hadn't been for their decision then I'd never have joined NCIS and I wouldn't have met you.' She explained and Gibbs smiled at her weakly and held her close, kissing her passionately.

Although he knew that her situation with Penny still pained her, he was glad that she'd been able to join NCIS, so that he had met her and now had her in his life.

'Speaking of that daughter of yours, where the hell is she?' He said with a smile, just as Penny arrived at the top of the stairs.

'Will I do?' She asked.

Gibbs looked at her as she stood above them on the staircase and found his breath catch in his throat. He felt like a proud father once again, noticeable by his large smile. Jenny was also proud of her daughter, noting how grown-up she looked, but she still considered her to be her baby. Gibbs couldn't help notice how much like her mother she Penny was.

She was dressed in a long black dress, which hugged her figure. It had thick, triangular shaped straps decorated with black sequins. Around her neck was the necklace Jenny had given her for her eighteenth birthday, the same necklace she had received on her eighteenth birthday. It was a silver oval shaped pendant with the initials JS and PS engraved on it, and another pendant in the shape of a key surrounding the number eighteen. It was her favourite necklace.

'Penny you're stunning!' Jenny gasped in delight.

'Well I'm not sure about that…' Penny blushed.

'McGee will be fighting the men away.' Gibbs said with a smile as he held both his arms out to his wife and step-daughter.

Penny descended the stairs and approached them as they left the house for the awaiting town car. The awards ceremony was going to mark the end of a difficult few weeks, but team Gibbs were going to celebrate their, well earned, achievement in style.

**Wow that story took me like forever to write, my apologies. Next story on its way and it's the re-arrival of Sarah Shepard. What will happen when she arrives? And will she find out that Penny knows the truth? Well you'll just have to read the next story to find out LOL.**


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